George R.R. Martin recently took to his blog to update fans on the highly anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off series House of the Dragon, saying he was impressed by early footage.
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In a lengthy blog post updating fans on a variety of things, Martin said that he’s seen rough cuts of nine of the first ten episodes of House of the Dragon, and that he’s been impressed the entire way.
“House of the Dragon? Glad you asked,” said Martin. “I’ve now watched rough cuts of nine of the ten episodes, and I continue to be impressed. I cannot speak to the SFX, many of which are not in yet, but the look of it is great, and the acting, the directing, and writing are first rate.”
Martin went on to say that while there are some changes from his book Fire & Blood (which the series is based on), the story is still very much his own. The author also went on to praise the subtle changes that the folks behind the series have made, including actors Sibel Kekilli and Paddy Considine, who play Shae and King Viserys, respectively.
“And yes, for all you book fans, it IS my story. Sure, there are some changes from Fire & Blood — we could not present three alternative versions of every major event, not and keep our sanity — but I think Ryan Condal and his writers made good choices. Even some improvements… For years, as some of you may recall, I have been saying the TV version of Shae, as portrayed by Sibel Kekilli, was a deeper, richer, and more nuanced character than the Shae in my novels. In a similar vein, I am vastly impressed by the show’s version of King Viserys, played by Paddy Considine, who gives the character a tragic majesty that my book Viserys never quite achieved.”
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon chronicles the rise and the downfall of the Targaryens, who are the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. It will take place 300 years before the events of the award-winning series adaptation of Game of Thrones, which aired its final episode nearly two years ago.
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The 10-episode series will be led by Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. It will also feature Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Graham McTavish, Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Matthew Needham, Bill Patterson, Gavin Spokes, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Savannah Steyn, and Theo Nate.
House of the Dragon hails from George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal, and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, with Condal and Sapochnik also attached to serve as showrunners. Executive producers are Martin, Sapochnik, Condal, Vince Gerardis, and Sara Lee Hess.
